1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to contacts for use with connectors, especially to female or socket type contacts which can be arranged in a single pitch manner of the raw strip to save the material and implement one-step installation of such contacts into the corresponding connector.
2. The Prior Art
Memory cards and I/O cards became popular in the recent years in which the standard 68 pins socket connector is required for connection of the inner circuit with the computer. Many types of contacts are used in such socket connectors or the like, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,564,258, 4,666,227, 4,687,278, 4,707,052, 4,720,277, 4,721,484, 4,722,704, 4,767,350, 4,840,588, 4,874,338, 4,886,747, 4,909,746 and 5,256,088. Most conventional socket type female contacts are generally arranged in a double-pitch manner of the raw strip because the socket type female contact needs more material in a double-pitch layout to form itself for providing the sufficient space therein and the contact area thereof for electrically receiving the inserted corresponding male contact therein. In other words, the pitch of two adjacent contacts of the strip stock is twice as the pitch of two adjacent cavities of the corresponding connector into which such contacts will be inserted. The double-pitch arrangement of the contacts in the raw strip results in two disadvantages. One is that too many scraps are left during stamping the blank(s) between two adjacent contacts or of the contact itself in such a raw strip. The other is that it is required to install the contacts in the connector by two individual insertion procedure steps wherein the first step provides only the odd (even) numbers of contacts in the connector, and the second step provides the rest of the contacts in the same connector. Thus, it is desired to have the single-pitch arrangement of the contact strip which can overcome the aforementioned two disadvantages.
It is noted that U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,776,651 and 5,183,421 disclose some so-called fine pitch arrangement of the array of the contact strip. Even though such designs may overcome the aforementioned two disadvantages of the conventional double-pitch contact arrangement of the raw strip, the precise bending and forming procedure makes the manufacturing difficult. Additionally, the cantilever type arms of such designs are not easily controllably formed in position in such a tiny structure, and any deviation thereof may result in an uneven stress distribution in such cantilever type fine pitch arrangement contact design.
An object of the present invention is to provide the fine (or one) pitch contact arrangement of the raw strip for not only reducing the material cost of manufacturing socket type contacts, but also simplifying the installation or insertion step of the contacts into the corresponding connector. Another object is to provide a preferred mechanical structure, as a stable and even support beam type configuration of a contact which overcomes the manufacturing restraints and functions, such that a long life-time reliable electrical and mechanical engagement can be obtained during interconnection between such socket female connector of the memory card or I/O card, and the complementary male connector positioned in the computer set.